The collapse of the Dutch government, the prospect of Socialist François Hollande as next French president and the surging popularity of far-right parties shows that budget discipline is out of fashion in Europe. Chancellor Angela Merkel is looking increasingly lonely in her fight to save the euro through painful austerity measures, write German commentators. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is running out of allies in her drive to solve the euro debt crisis through strict austerity programs. French Socialist François Hollande looks on course to oust President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been Merkel's most important par ... (full story)